Int J Med Sci
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Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is one of the major causes of acute hepatitis and acute liver failure in developing and developed countries. Although effective vaccines for HAV infection are available, outbreaks of HAV infection still cause deaths, even in developed countries. One approach to control HAV infection is prevention through diet, which can inhibit HAV propagation and replication. ⋯ Japanese miso extracts enhanced GRP78 expression and inhibited HAV replication in human hepatocytes. Together, these results demonstrate that Japanese miso extracts may partly modulate GRP78 expression and additively or synergistically work as antivirals against HAV infection. Japanese miso extracts can be used as effective dietary supplements for severe hepatitis A.
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In this study, we investigated the mechanisms that lead to the production of proinflammatory mediators by the murine macrophage cell line, RAW264.7, when these cells are exposed in vitro to recombinant Borrelia burgdorferi basic membrane protein A (rBmpA). Using antibody protein microarray technology with high-throughput detection ability for detecting 25 chemokines in culture supernatant the RAW264.7 cell culture supernatants at 12 and 24 h post-stimulation with rBmpA, we identified two chemokines, a monocyte chemoattractant protein-5 (MCP-5/CCL12) and a macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2/CXCL2), both of which increased significantly after stimulation. ⋯ Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that with the increase of rBmpA concentration, MCP-5/CCL12 and MIP-2/CXCL2 showed concentration-dependent increases (p <0.01). Our results indicate that the rBmpA could stimulate the secretion of several specific chemokines and induce Lyme arthritis.
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Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with a high rate of mortality. Our previous study shows the expression of calponin 2 (CNN2) is up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, especially in metastatic ones. To better understand the role of CNN2 in HCC, RNA interference (RNAi) was used to explore its role in tumor growth and metastasis. ⋯ With CNN2 protein down-regulation, the protein of pMEK1/2 and pERK1/2 are effectively down-regulated, except pAKT, AKT, MEK1/2 and ERK1/2. Conclusions: CNN2 plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis, possibly through MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Our study illustrate that CNN2 might be a potential target in HCC molecular target therapy.
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Background: To overcome the limited source of autogenous bone in bone grafting, many efforts have been made to find bone substitutes. The use of hybrid composites of silk and hydroxyapatite to simulate natural bone tissue can overcome the softness and brittleness of the individual components. Methods: Critical-sized, 7 x 4 x 1.5 mm alveolar defects were created surgically in 36 Sprague-Dawley rats. ⋯ Conclusions: New bone formation was higher in hybrid scaffolds. Both osteoconduction at the defect margin and osteoinduction at the center of the defect were confirmed. There were no detected complications related to foreign body implantation.
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Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which the pancreas no longer produces enough insulin. Pancreatic alpha cell mass increases in response to insufficient insulin secretion. However, the reason for this increase is not clear. ⋯ The increase of insulin secretion by Ex-4 in the presence of high glucose was inhibited by 2'5'-dideoxyadenosine, a transmembrane adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, but not by KH-7, a soluble adenylyl cyclase inhibitor. The increase of insulin secretion by glucagon in INS-1 cells was inhibited by both 2'5'-dideoxyadenosine and KH-7. We suggest that glucagon and GLP-1 produced from alpha cells additively increase cAMP and insulin secretion in the presence of high glucose via distinct adenylyl cyclases in INS-1 cells, and this may contribute to the compensatory increase of insulin secretion by an increase of pancreatic alpha cell mass under conditions of insulin resistance.